Will O' Wisp
by Celia Koda
Summary: The story of a girl, her Pokemon and an ever growing knowledge of the world around her.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Notes:_

**Pokemon are the rightful property of Nintendo, and if they in any circumstances **_**were **_**my property, I would be a very happy little girl. However, as I cannot stress enough, they are not my property. All places, Pokemon and canon characters are the rightful property of Nintendo. However, any original characters are the rightful property of Hippy Jolteon and always will be. Now we've got that over with, I hope you enjoy the prologue of my shiny new fan fiction.**

The mother Ninetales lay down contentedly on the sofa, her silver gold fur shining luxuriantly in the dappled sunlight. The five Vulpix cubs that she had given birth to just six weeks ago rested in the arc between her stomach and her tails, warm, their own tails curling around their tiny, vulnerable bodies. The cubs had grown prodigiously in the six weeks that they had been on Earth. Their fur had become considerably thicker; their one silver tail turned an orange red and splitting from the tip to form two, their claws sharper, and their ability to obliterate tiny twigs with fiery hot Ember attacks more powerful.

Yuki Kaworu, a successful Pokemon Breeder, born in the thriving cosmopolis known to many as Viridian City, Kanto region, and now the only Pokemon Breeder in Snowpoint City, Sinnoh, looked on at these beautiful and growing cubs with a benevolent glance. He had raised that Ninetales since she herself was a Vulpix, and remembered the day he evolved her with a Fire Stone himself. _'One day.'_ He thought. _'One day my own fourteen year old daughter, now ready for her journey after years of working and waiting, will be able to do the same.' _ As he gently scooped up the only cub with three tails, the whole of Kaworu's life with Ninetales flashed before his eyes.

He saw himself as a young boy, catching his very own Vulpix in the ruins of the once majestic Pokemon Mansion. He saw his blossoming relationship with Vulpix, and his winning of his eight Kanto gym badges. He saw the evolution process, placing the Fire Stone within Vulpix's luxuriant fur in the nape of her neck, watching her transform into a beauty, a Pokemon with such Classical grace that it would make even the greatest of the old masters blusha Ninetales. He saw his work in the Day Care Centre in Solaceon Town, Sinnoh as a young man, and his decision to become a Pokemon Breeder confirmed as a young woman called Aislinn and her Houndoom stepped into the centre… Years later, with a fourteen year old child in tow and the light that is their love still had not gone out.

'_Aislinn.' _He thought. _'Her. She of the Houndoom and the smile that could make the worlds' leaders at the G8 Summit crumble before her, Aislinn O' Rourke.' _

"I'm right here, Kaworu." Aislinn whispered. "Someone has come to see how Ninetales is getting along."

"It's wonderful to see you again, Aislinn. Hell, even a week away from you still feels like an eternity." Kaworu laughed sheepishly, his limpid blue eyes sparkling underneath his mass of jet - black hair.

"Oh, don't be such a romantic." Aislinn giggled, leaning over to kiss him. Her Houndoom scampered towards the Ninetales and nuzzled at her, as if to say _'I missed you, too.'_ The Houndoom and his master noticed the Vulpix cub at Kaworu's side, and wore the same pained expression on their faces.

"Is she leaving so soon?" Aislinn said, her lithe figure, clad in a black hooded top and drainpipe jeans drooping at the thought of one Vulpix cub less in the household.

"Yes. But she's going to a wonderful owner, who I know will care and cherish her for ever."

"And who may that be?" Aislinn said coquettishly.

"Michiko. We are giving her to Michiko."


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Notes:_

I do not own Pokemon or the Pokemon franchise. The lucky owner of it is Nintendo and Satoshi Tajri, and basically, don't sue me.

Snow, snow, snow. A blanket of white, fluffy snow enveloped the city of Snowpoint all year round, thanks to it's close proximity to the immense Mount Coronet, still, stoic and cold, the summit covered by ice so cold it took on a blue colour in winter and a delicate dusting of snow. Snowpoint was a quiet city, the snow muffling the sounds of footsteps. A small city, only considered one due to its gym, the closest city being Eterna, at least five miles away, across driving snow and through the maze of Mount Coronet.

A well known saying in Snowpoint was "there ain't much here except snow, and there ain't much to do here except plough the snow. And if there isn't no snow to plough, then you might as well pray at the Temple." To an extent, this saying was true. The city was cut off from the outside world due to it being the most northerly city in the Sinnoh region and due to this, it was a city where only the most dedicated Trainers would tread. However, as well as ploughing the snow, many citizens trained at the Pokemon Gym, in order to do two things:

1: To toughen up their dear Pokemon.

2: To be able to get out of Snowpoint without collapsing.

Of course, the snow would never cease to fall in Snowpoint City, so therefore the very idea of praying at the Temple was never thought of, as it was so strongly protected by the authorities. So, in this living winter wonderland of a town, it was true that nothing really happened.

Amongst this bleak isolation, a creative spark roamed. Yuki Michiko, a young Pokemon trainer in waiting, fourteen years old. She had waited for four years to receive her first Pokemon and now the time was right. For those four years, she waited. She did not want to start her journey at ten, as the journey through Mount Coronet would have been too dangerous at such a tender age. Instead, she immersed herself in the world of books. If there were a book she could get her hands on, she would read it, anything from myths of legendary Pokemon to Roald Dahl stories to shojo manga. So she read. She read until she could live her sheltered life no longer. To an uninitiated guest to the Yuki household, you would not be wrong in assuming that she had had, to some extent, a troubled past _vis a vis_ Pokemon training. At the age of ten, she had challenged Candice, the gym leader of Snowpoint, with a disobedient Snover. In an instant, she was beaten. Unfortunately for Michiko, she took the loss to heart. The Snover, although trying its best to help her through the loss, could not get through her callous aura of self - criticism. Racked with guilt, the Pokemon became as self – critical and neurotic as its young trainer. The Snover took on many of her less than redeeming qualities and became almost a caricature of her. On seeing this guilt ridden Snover, raised only for a few months, take on such an accurate depiction of her own unfortunate qualities, she decided to lose herself in books in order to cease her pessimistic spirit. However, the neurotic Snover refused to change. On seeing its trainer's change of heart, the tree like Pokemon felt disappointed, fearing that Michiko had lost all faith in it.

So, on the night of Michiko's thirteenth birthday, Snover escaped from the mundane life that he had led for the last three years. It ran back to the cave where he had lived before his now happy trainer in waiting had caught it with her red and white plastic capsule known to the humans as a Poke Ball. Three years later, Snover had lost all faith in its trainer, assuming that her sudden change of heart due to enlightenment within books was not the norm, and a move away from the cynical detachment that she once had, which the Snover believed was what was good about her. The Snover lumbered back to its family in the cave by Ice Rock and waited for another trainer, possibly another girl like Michiko - chan once was, to capture and train it again.

A year and three months later after the Snover debacle was long forgotten, the bookworm Michiko reclined on the armchair in her house's living room, waking slowly from an afternoon nap that had turned into a five hour sleep. She felt a slight pressure on her lap, and jolted out of her daze.

She heard a howl. As her clear brown eyes, concealed under Coke bottle glasses, blearily peeped open, she saw that this howl came from a three tailed Vulpix cub, sitting innocently on her lap as if it was the most normal thing that it could do. It howled again, and wagged its three shining red tails with joy.

"Hello Michiko." Kaworu said in an uncommonly calm fashion, walking through across the hallway into the Yukis' spacious living room. "I see you've met Vulpix."

"It's… Beautiful."

"We've raised her since she was born, and now she's ready to go on a journey with you."

"Thank you so much, Dad. I can't wait to get going!" The sight of this beautiful cub had changed Michiko's opinion on Pokemon training. The incident with the young Snover had disheartened her, but this Vulpix, with its milky golden eyes and russet fur, could just have changed her cynical viewpoint.

"Well your mother and I have been waiting for this day, too. For years you've stayed here in Snowpoint, and now we think you're ready. That's why Vulpix is here. We also have some other things to give you, too."

Kaworu presented her with a Poketch, five Poke Balls, a fishing rod, a box full of medicine and a shining silver bike complete with black gloves and red helmet. Michiko couldn't believe her eyes when she saw these gifts, stood up from the chair where she had once reposed and ran upstairs to her bedroom, her newly acquired Vulpix following suit. "I suppose I'd better get my things together, I'll be going soon!" She shouted from the top of the staircase.

She reached for her large black backpack in the corner of her room and packed up what she needed. She took a pair of dirty white Converses, a few more outfits, mostly sweatshirts, jeans and t -shirts; her fedora hat from her wardrobe; folded them up and packed them. She took her journal and books from her desk and stuffed them in the bag so they nestled between her Converses and a red sweatshirt, packed her multicoloured scarf, as it was cold up on Mount Coronet and she needed to travel through it, found a bottle to fill up with water, zipped up the backpack, and so, she was ready for anything.

The next morning, she set off on her journey. After showering and breakfasting, she was ready. Wearing a purple and green striped sweatshirt, jeans and walking boots, with her bike and Vulpix by her side, she was about to go into the wide, white world. The snow looked beautiful glistening in the morning sun, and Michiko knew that although she was leaving Snowpoint for now (and couldn't wait to get out of there), she would always have a place in her heart for the city.

Despite her father's act of kindness in buying her a bike, Michiko could not use it through the routes of driving snow that led from Snowpoint City to Mount Coronet. So, for this period of time, she had to walk. The snow crunched under her feet, and the frost encrusted grass crumbled under the tread of her blue walking boots. Her vision was clouded by the raging blizzards that whirled through the routes, and occasionally wild ice Pokemon would pass by. Vulpix proved to be a formidable opponent to these Pokemon, and the bond between Vulpix and Michiko strengthened minute by minute as they travelled together. Skiing trainers challenged the duo and were impressed by the bond that they shared. To answer one Ace Trainer's question – "How have you bonded so well in such a short period of time?" Michiko answered enigmatically, "It is the harsh snow which forced our friendship to grow. Without a friendship with your Pokemon, a journey like this would be worthless."

After some hours, Michiko and Vulpix entered the vast, majestic darkness of Mount Coronet. Michiko gingerly mounted her new bike, and tested it out on the slopes of the mountain. Nervous and jittery at first, it was uncomfortable riding the bike on such rough terrain. However, after riding for a little while, Michiko got used to the bike and rode with ease. On their journey down the mountainous paths, Vulpix and Michiko encountered a number of cave dwelling Pokemon, including flocks of zubat, geodude blocking their path, the occasional clefairy and chimecho and a plethora of others, almost all of which Vulpix stridently battled, the intense heat of shining blue Will o' Wisp flames burning the bodies of the encountered Pokemon. After a sizeable amount of time, Michiko and Vulpix decided to rest by a clear pool of water. While resting in the cool of the mountain cave, Michiko decided to take the fishing rod out of her bag and idly fish. Vulpix scampered around her backpack, hoping that Michiko would bring a berry or a snack out from her bag, as well as the fishing rod.

"Well, Vulpix, I suppose this is it." She said, casting off into the clear blue pool. "The day I catch my first Pokemon." Vulpix turned her head to one side enigmatically, sensing that something was under the water, ready to come up the surface.

There was movement underneath the sparkling blue water; the _something_ that was creating those ripples tugged on the line of Michiko's rod, and splashed up, flailing. A fishlike Pokemon, with sunken eyes, a light brown body, blue fins and an unbelievably shabby appearance. Feebas. One of the most worthless Pokemon that existed, but it was a start. Plus, Michiko knew that, through some bizarre form of evolution, this tattered, frayed fish would evolve into Milotic, one of the most beautiful Pokemon of all.

And so, the battle (if you could call it that) began.

Michiko commanded Vulpix to use Quick Attack, and so she diligently did. Running so she was almost a blur, Vulpix charged towards the fish Pokemon head on, causing it to fall backwards onto the ground, slightly grazed from its fall, nothing too serious, but it was certainly weak enough to capture. Michiko reached for a Poke Ball in her bag and threw it. The sheer magnetic force that lay within the capsule drew the Feebas in. As soon as the Pokemon had fully transformed into translucent red light, the ball snapped shut. Michiko waited for the ball to close completely, and, as luck would have it, the ball clicked shut reassuringly.

"We did it, Vulpix! My first captured Pokemon…" Michiko gazed up at the top of the cave, hoping for some beam of light to shine down on her like an epiphany. The light that she had hoped for however, did not come from the skies, but from right in her field of vision. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, and it pointed straight to her future.


End file.
